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Beginner's Guide to MTF Crossdressing

Reaching and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

By Diane Hutchinson

Looking at me now it's hard to imagine that I once had a dress size that was in the low twenties, but it's 100% true. Up until about four years ago I was forced to buy all of my clothes at the rather awful "large lady" shops. During the time I was heavy these shops offered no current or younger style clothes at all only fashions that my mother might wear and some I doubt even she would be caught dead in. One of the happiest days of my transgendered life was the first time I fit (really fit, not squeezed) into a size 14. The freedom that I had gained encouraged me on and today I happily wear a dress size of 12 and a size 10 skirt.

Many of us that are transgendered, like most other Americans, struggle with our weight. For us though getting down to and even more importantly maintaining a healthy weight can reap benefits extending beyond the normal health ones that everyone enjoys. The war I have waged my entire life against my extra weight has taught me in practical terms how to get down to and maintain a proper weight. Many of my family and friends have even suggested that I should write a book or something on weight loss. It will never happen. There is a very simple reason why any book I would write on this subject would never be successful....I tell the truth and that's not what people want to hear.

If I were to write a book it would start by me informing the reader of the three basic rules (facts really) to losing and maintaining a healthy weight that I have discovered. No one can avoid them as ignoring the rules will only lead to ultimate failure. Conversely, anyone obeying these rules WILL be successful. That's right, I would absolutely guarantee that if the reader abided by these three simple rules they would reach and maintain a healthy weight. I am sure that would hook the reader in, but once they got beyond the dust jacket they would be running back to the store for a refund. By now I bet you must be very eager to see just what these rules are all about. OK, you asked for it. I suspect many of you will quit reading part way through this list, but lets give it a try shall we?

Getting to Your Goal

1) Weight control is a LIFE LONG endeavor. It will not be over in seven days, seven weeks or seven years. To be successful you must commit yourself to this goal on a daily basis (sometimes multiple times daily) for the rest of your life.

2) Exercise must become as regular a part of your routine life as is taking a shower or brushing your teeth. Three times a week for at least thirty minutes is the absolute minimum. Also, exercise involves real hard work. If you don't need a shower by the end of your workout you are most likely just wasting your time.

3) You must learn to stop using food as an emotional crutch. It is a scientific fact that each person requires a set number of calories daily to maintain a healthy weight. If you are eating more than that number there is some underlying reason (barring of course a real medical problem). Find out what that reason or reasons are and find a way to cope with them that does not involve food. This may very well mean some sort counseling. At the very least a lot of honest soul searching is required.

Well, that's it. Anyone still with me? I know the above rules are harsh and frankly, they suck. The truth of the matter is that if you can not learn to abided by them the best you can hope for is a short term weight loss. Of course your loss will be followed by the inevitable regaining of at least the lost weight and maybe more. Believe me I know, that's what I did for years.

I wish I could tell each of you how to reach the point where you can live by these rules, but the internal journey you must take will no doubt be different than mine as it is different for each person. As someone who has done it what I can tell you is that despite the torturous hard work you will never regret taking the journey. I can honestly say that my quality of life has increased ten fold since I made these decisions myself.

You may have noticed that this article is not accompanied by a before and after photos of me. I thought about it, but decided that the person in those before pictures is not someone I am proud of and I can't really say I am even that person anymore. I do want to share a bit about myself with you though so you know that this article was not written by one of those 110 pound women that lost five pounds once and now thinks she knows it all. I struggled with my weight for almost thirty years from childhood up to about four years ago. My peak weight during that time was over 100 pounds heavier than I am today. Though that is somewhat impressive it really means nothing as a lot of people lose a lot of weight. Over 99% of those people gain the lost weight back within one year. I have been at my current weight for almost three years now and know in my heart that this is forever.

If you have stuck with me this far you know what you need to do to reach and live at a healthy weight. Keep in mind that it all boils down to how much you want it. You have to want it more than that cheeseburger or chocolate candy or all you can eat buffet. You have to want it enough to labor through the hard work and unpleasantness of exercise (some people say you will grow to enjoy it. I'm still waiting....). You have to want it enough to really examine deep inside yourself and work through some of those problem areas you would rather not visit. In the end if you have the will and determination to live by my three rules, you will succeed. It 's all up to you.

Next month I will lighten up on this subject a bit by sharing a few of my practical everyday tips for loosing and maintaining a healthy weight. Till then.....

Diane


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